Endoscopic vein harvesting (EVH) is becoming common for the patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Using carbon dioxide insufflations d

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the time-related regression of left ventricular hypertrophy after stentless vs. stented aortic valve replacement. From January 1992 to December 2002, 145 patients had a Toronto stentless porcine valve and 106 had a stented Carpentier-Edwards aortic valve replacement. Over a 10-year follow-up, survival was superior in the Toronto group vs. the Carpentier-Edwards group (84% vs. 74% at 4 years; 78% vs. 68% at 6 years; p < 0.001). A significant and constant reduction of peak and mean transvalvular gradients after valve replacement resulted in substantial regression of left ventricular mass index in both groups, which did not reach statistical significance. However, this phenomenon stopped at 3 years, and left ventricular mass index increased slowly after 5 years. Stentless and stented bioprostheses both showed good early and late clinical and hemodynamic outcomes, with the advantage of better midterm survival for stentless xenografts.

Although porcine mitral bioprostheses provide predictably good long-term outcomes, unexpected leaflet tears leading to abrupt haemodynamic changes may occur. Here, we report on a patient who was presented with acute dyspnea due to a cuspal tear of a porcine bioprosthetic mitral valve causing severe mitral regurgitation. Her condition was subsequently complicated by a systemic infection, probably pneumonia, and was successfully managed with an urgent redo-mitral valve replacement.

Coronary artery spasm is rare after coronary artery bypass surgery. We describe a case of intraoperative severe native coronary artery and graft spasm after successful off-pump coronary bypass surgery in a 55-year-old man, which was detected by suspicious electrocardiographic changes, and documented postoperatively by coronary angiography.

Background and Aim Endoscopic radial artery (RA) harvest (ERAH) is an alternative to open RA harvest (ORAH) technique. Our aim was to compare clinical outcome, patent satisfaction and 1-year angiographic patency rates after ERAH and ORAH. Patients and methods 50 patients undergoing multivessel CABG were prospectively randomized to two groups. In the ERAH group (25 patients) the RA was harvested endoscopically and in the ORAH group (25 patients) openly. Results There were not differences between the groups in preoperative characteristics. Length of skin incision was shorter in ERAH (p<0.001) but there were not differences in the length of RA, harvest time, blood flow and pulsatility index after ERAH and ORAH. Wound healing was uniformly smooth in ERAH and there were 2 haematomas and 1 infection in ORAH. Postoperatively, major neuralgias were present in 5 patients in ORAH and none in ERAH (p=0.05) and minor neuralgias in 11 and 3 patients (p=0.02) respectively. Twenty-four patients in ERAH and 4 in ORAH graded their experience as excellent (p<00001). One-year angiographic RA patency was 90% without intergroup difference. Target vessel stenosis < 90% adversely affected RA patency (p 90%.